A record number of cities, towns and islands will take part in Culture Night 2012.
Museums, galleries, theatres and public buildings will open their doors on Friday 21 September.
The event is now in its seventh year.
New areas to the programme include Galway, Louth, Tipperary, Ards in Co Down, and Hollywood in Wicklow.
Highlights include a marathon reading of Ulysses by 18 voluntary groups at the Source Arts Centre in Tipperary, the transformation of the Gluckman Gallery in Cork into a live sketchbook, and free recording sessions at Platform 4 in Kildare.
The Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht is providing funding of €200,000 for the all-Ireland event.
This year's programme was launched at City Hall in Cork today by Minister for Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan.
